Bang Bang 70’s

Bang Bang 70’s is easy to miss but once discovered, is impossible to forget. It is on a second floor amongst the wonderful blend of cafes and shops in Hong Kong’s Soho district. You are buzzed in and climb the stairs to enter a treasure trove, or rather a leather trove.

Parker is the owner. He, along with his brother, search the world for bags, wallets, belts, suitcases, briefcases, even saddlebags. Many look like new but in fact some date to the 19th century. All are a crammed into a small space. But range and quality like this doesn’t come cheap. You can pay thousands of dollars for a Victorian suit bag, or a briefcase made from two alligators, or a vintage Chanel purse.

Part of Parker’s mission with this secret retail museum is to spread the awareness of vintage leather throughout Asia, in particular to mainland China. He says that as buyers become more affluent and travel abroad more, the new middle class of China is developing a sense of fashion history. Parker and Bang Bang 70’s are there to encourage it.

Vintage leather accessories aren’t the only well-preserved jewels that he has crammed into a small space in this overcrowded city. Parker’s other passion is classic cars. He has ten of them. Mercedes, Ferrari, and BMW, all hidden away in a garage, somewhere in Hong Kong. But that’s another story.